Building construction



April 6, 1937. B. LONDON 2,076,473

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1936 3 Sheet s-Shee'c 1 iNVENTOR Belggzmi London April 6, 1937. B. LONDON BUILDING CONSTRUCTION s Sheets-Sheei; 2

Filed May 22, 1956 IIIV p JV. i

INVENTOR Begzardlondon 6 QM April 6, 1937. B LONDON BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 12 40, 57. -ze flfi 2" 56 lNVENT OR liernardlondon @MMWM ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

This invention relates to building construction.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a building construction, particularly such as the walls, wall portions, or other sections or portions of the building construction, that will lend itself to inexpensive and speedy fabrication both as to its individual parts and as to its ultimate assembly of the latter to form the building construction itself. Another object is to provide a building construction having component parts that will be inexpensive and capable of relatively wide flexibility of interrelation, interchange, and assembly, and to. provide a desirable variation or range of choice of materials particularly for 13 certain of the component parts of the ultimate building construction.

Another object is to provide a building construction and component parts thereof and therefor whereby to carry out in improved manner 2,) such objects as are set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 65,771, filed February 26, 1936, and in general to improve upon certain of the features of my invention as set forth in the latter application. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown certain of various possible embodiments of my invention, all by way of illustration,

Figure l is a vertical sectional View on an enlarged scale through a building wall, illustratively an outside Wall, showing certain features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a core element 40 such as may be used in the wall construction of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is avertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through a portion of the wall core element, as seen along the line 33 of Figure 2,

45 and showing one element of a fastening or securing means embodied therein;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through a sheet material or wall portion, showing how it is prepared for inter- .no relation with the securing means of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on a similarly enlarged scale showing how the securing or fastening means of Figure 3 and the wall portion or sheet material of Figure 4 are secured to- 55 gether, Figure 5 being a vertical sectional view as seen along the line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a fastening or securing means generally like that of Figure 3 but embodied in such a way 60 as to achieve other advantages, being an elevation of the device as it would beseen along the line 6-5 of Figure 1, certain parts of which as seen in Figure 6 being seen in broken lines;

Figure '7 is an end elevation as seen from the left in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side elevation on a smaller scale of a securing means of the type of Figure 6 embodied in a form to achieve still other advantages.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of a building wall or the like illustrating another possible embodiment of certain features of my invention;

Figure 10 is a transverse or vertical sectional view as seen along the line HJI0 of Figure 9, and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary transverse or vertical sectional view of a modified wall construction.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring first to Figure 1, I have there shown in horizontal cross-section a wall construction embodying one or more and preferably two sheet members 20 and 2!, one being on the inner side of the wall and the other on the outer side of the wall; these sheet members may be made of any suitable material and may be of any desired size or dimension, and in my above-mentioned copending application as well as in my co-pending application Serial No. 23,369, filed May 25, 1935, I have set forth various materials of which either or both of these sheet members may be made. And by way merely of illustration and depending upon the practical conditions to be met and particularly in so far as certain features of my present invention are concerned, the materials of which this sheet material is made may include materials capable of being cast or molded, such as cement, materials such as are used in tiles and including glaze, or glass, either plate or sheet glass, any other appropriate material capable of fabrication into the sizes or shapes desired, such as asbestos composition, flexboard, transite, fiber board, homasote, so-called sheet rock, plaster board, maze-wood, celotex, cardboard, or the like, though it is to be understood that I do not intend to restrict myself to any specific type or kind of material of which the sheet member or members may be made, excepting as may be specifically set forth in one or more of the following claims. These sheet members are preferably given substantial dimensions as to length and breadth, they may in length be on the order of six feet or eight feet and in width be on the order of three feet or four feet, these dimensions being, of course, only illustrative.

The sheet members 20 and 2|, where two are employed, as in Figure 1, are to define or form the bounding faces of, the ultimate wall or a a order.

portion of the cross-section thereof, and they are held in spaced relation by suitable means, preferably in the form of a sheet metal spacer construction generally indicated in Figure 1 by the reference character 99, and which in general is shaped and formed like that described in my above-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 65,771, and as is shown in perspective in Figure 2 herein.

Member 99 is made of sheet metal of any suitable or appropriate gage or thickness or character and because of certain features of its construction, a relatively high gage of sheet metal may be employed. Its construction is such as lends itself to ready manufacture, as by way of a suitable press operating, for example,

in successive steps or stages to give the initially plane sheet metal the desired features of shape and construction. It is shaped to have a number of vertically extending column portions, of which three are shown, at 9!, 92 and 93, in Figures 2 by way of illustration, each comprising a rib R. pressed out of the plane of the plane face portions F, being in general similar to the parts 10'H of Figure 2 already described.

The sheet metal intervening these vertical column portions 9|, 92, etc., is slit or cut horizontally to form a considerable number of straplike horizontal connecting portions which are pressed or bent alternately out of the plane of .the column members 9|, 92, etc. Thus, in Figure 2, there is an upper row of strap-like connectors 95 and 96, shaped to have inclined wings W and W joined at their outer and inner ends by a cross-piece C.

The next row of strap-like connector portions has the latter extending to the opposite side of the plane of the column portions 9|, 92, etc., and the illustrative two connector portions appear in Figure 2 at 98 and 99, each comprising portions W C and W as above described.

The next horizontal row comprises the connector parts lfll, I92 extending to the same side of the plane of the column parts as do the conr 'nector parts 95 and 99, the next horizontal row comprises the connector parts 194, I95 extending to the same side of the central plane as do the parts 98, 99, and so on, it being noted that 'the parts W C and W of all of the connector parts that extend in vertical rows are respectively alined; these parts 93, I09, etc., parts 95, ll, etc. form two vertical rows, one to each side of the central plane, and so on.

At its vertical ends the member 99 terminates preferably in such a way as to interfit with another member 99 that may be alined with it edge to edge to form a continuation. The members 99 may be made of any suitable size or dimension; illustratively, the spacing center to center of the column portions 9|, 92, 93, etc., may be on the order of five inches or so, the vertical dimension or width of the connecting strap-like members, such as member 95 or 96 or I05 may be on the order of two inches, and hence the spacing between the horizontal rows is of a like Each one of these connecting strap-like members may protrude from the central plane by a distance on the order of two inches, making the thickness of the member 99 on the order of four inches. Member 99 may be of any desired vertical and horizontal dimensions depending upon the specific character of application thereof and within the range of feasible or commercial construction out of plain sheet metal; illustratively each member 99 may be several feet in height and several feet in width.

To either or both of the sides of this core and spacer member, there are to be secured such sheet members as the members 29 and 2| of Figure 1 and particularly where the latter are made of any one of the wide variety of commercially available non-metallic sheet materials of which a number are illustratively mentioned above, I prefer to achieve a mechanical union or support therebetween and the sheet metal core 96 in the following way. The shaping of the core member 99, as appears from Figure 2, will be seen to bring or position all of the forwardly projecting portions C in one plane and all of the rearwardly projecting portions C-in another plane, these planes being parallel to each other. In the portions C of either or both of these planes and preferably only in one of them, illustratively those of the forward plane, I provide or stamp or otherwise form or secure thereto outwardly, hence forwardly in Figure 2, projecting but outwardly concaved securing devices D, preferably disk-like in shape. The members D project forwardly of their respective portions C, as is better shown in Figure 3, and each is connected to its portion C as by a suitable number, illustratively four (Figure 2), of legs 22, the portions of the sheet metal intervening the latter and the portions C and the devices D being cut out to insure that the remaining or unengaged peripheral portions of the device D present a clean and relatively sharp peripheral or lateral edge.

Where the devices D are thus integrally formed with the sheet metal core or spacer member 90, the formation may be achieved in any suitable way and by any appropriately or successively acting drawing, punching, or stamping tools, or the like.

The core thus presents (as better appears from Figure 2) a plurality of appropriately, illustratively uniformly, spaced or distributed outwardly convexed securing devices D. The sheetlike element 2! (Figure 1) is held assembled to the core or spacer member 99 by these supporting or securing devices D and for that purpose the sheet member 2| is provided, on its inner face, with a suitable number of recesses 23 spaced or distributed similarly as are the devices D of the core member 99.

The recesses 23, one of which is better shown in enlarged section in Figure 4, may be very shallow and may be of a depth on the order of thickness of the sheet metal of the securing device D itself; this is a feature of importance where the sheet members 25 are of relatively small thickness, as is frequently the case with certain of the sheet materials now commercially available. 11- lustratively, sheet material like flexboard is fabricated in thicknesses as small as about oneeighth of an inch and in such case the recess 23 need be of a depth of only about one-sixteenth of an inch where the thickness of the sheet metal of the securing device D is approximately one thirty-second of an inch.

Where the securing devices are circular or disk-like, as is the preferred form, the recesses 23 are also circular and dimensioned, such as their diameter, to just receive the securing device D itself. This latter relation is indicated by comparison of Figures 3 and 4, the parts of which are shown juxtaposed preparatory to causing one to be received by the other.

After the securing devices D, still in outwardly concaved form, are thus entered and hence peripherally bottom in their respective recesses 23, the central or concaved portions or areas of the .5 securing devices D are straightened out so as to bring the theretofore concaved sheet metal into or approximating the plane of the periphery of the securing device.

In so doing the diameter of the securing devices D becomes enlarged and the free or exposed peripheral edges, particularly those portions intervening the supporting arms or legs 22 (Figures 2 and 3) become tilted and the device D, now in the shape and relationship shown in Figure 5 with respect to the sheet member 2| and its recess, peripherally undercuts into the side walls of the recess 23, as is better shown in Figure 5.

There results a very strong and secure interconnection and that in spite of the possible small thickness of the sheet material as is sometimes met with commercially and as is illustratively set forth immediately above.

In forcing the securingdevice out of its curved shape and into gripping or expanded relation with respect to the recess 23, any suitable tool or tools may be employed, and it may be done in the factory or on the field. Preferably the sheet material 2| is suitably supported or backed up to resist the force or pressure of the tool that is rested against the convex face of the securing device D as the tool forces the latter out of its curvature and into gripping relation. Furthermore, such tools may be ganged up to cause action upon all of the securing devices D of a single section of the core or spacer 90, it being noted that, as will be seen by reference to Figure 2, the spaces between vertically spaced rearwardly projecting portions C of the core member 9|] permit free access of such tools to the rear or convex sides of the securing devices D.

The core section 90 with its thus attached sheet member 2|, the latter being suitably dimensioned to match the general dimension of the core section, as to length and breadth, may now be assembled with other structures or parts and the wall or other construction proceeded with.

Where it is desired to provide another sheet member, such as the member 20 of Figure 1, juxtaposed to the sheet member 2| but on the opposite side thereof from the core 90, I again prefer to employ securing devices of the general type 5 and character of the devices D above described in detail; in such case, however, it is more convenient and in other respects more advantageous to utilize securing devices D that are separable from the core member 90 itself.

In Figures 6 and '7, I have shown a possible form of such separable securing devices and referring now to these two figures I again provide the concaved disk-like securing device D above described but it has an extension 24, preferably integrally formed therewith but bent substantially at right angles to the general plane of the device D itself, and as will be seen from Figure 7 the extension 24, though plane, falls within the circumference of the disk-like device D itself,

0 thus to make sure that the end of the extension or arm 24 does not interfere with the entry of the device D into the recess of the sheet member to which it is to be anchored.

The extension 24 has a plurality of downward- 5 1y extending spaced portions, illustratively three in number and indicated at 25,26 and 21., thus forming open-ended slots 28, 29 and 30.

The sheet member (Figure 1) to be related to the other side of the core member 90 is again provided with suitably and appropriately spaced recesses 3| similar to the recesses 23 of the sheet member 2| above described. Into the recesses 3| of the sheet member 20 are inserted the concaved or curved securing devices D of Figures 6 and 7., with the slotted extensions or arms 24 thereof alined in parallel rows and with the slots all opening in the same direction. The devices D are then pressed to diminish or remove theircur-, vatures and thus the slotted or hook-shaped arms 24 become thereby securely anchored and fastened to the sheet member 2|].

In the process of lessening or removing the curvature or convexity,*the left-hand edge of the disk-like members, as seen in Figure 6, is made to bite into and undercut the material of the sheet member 20, just as was described above in connection with Figures 3, 4 and 5.

With the sheet member 20 thus provided with a suitable number of these mounting or supporting means, preferably one for each of the rearwardly projecting portions C of the core member 90 of Figure 2 where such a core member is employed, the sheet member 20 may now be related to the other side of the core member l9 by causing each rearwardly projecting portion Cof the latter to enter into one of the slots of the ex-' tension or arm 24 (Figure 6) of the securing means, this assembly being effected by a simple movement inwardly of the'sheet member 20 to bring the extensions 24 over the rearwardly projecting portion C followed by a downward movement of the sheet member 20 to cause these portions C to be entered into the same slot (selected from slots 28, 29 or 30 of Figure 6) of the extensions 24. In Figure 6 I have shown in broken lines how the portions C are entered into the slot 29 and have similarly indicated the resultant relationship between the sheet member 20 and the portions C of the core 90, these relations being shown in horizontal cross-section in Figure 1.

By appropriately selecting the slot of the extensions 24 that is to be employed for receiving the sheet metal portions C of the core, the spacing of the sheet member 20 from the core or from the opposite sheet member 2| may be determined at will.

Into the hollow spaces between the sheets 20 and 2| and the various portions of the core and spacer member 90, I may now pour concrete, cement, or other suitable plastic or appropriatematerial, as indicated in cross-section in Figure 1 at 32. The plastic material upon setting or solidifying interlocks with the extensions 24 (Fig-. ure 6), enters such slots of the latter as are not occupied by the sheet metal portions C, and thus the extensions 24 and hence the securing or anchoring devices D, to which the sheet member 20 is secured as above described, become dependably and permanently anchored in the result wall structure. The securing devices D that are anchored to both sheet members 20 and 2| of Figure 1 thus dependably hold the sheet members in their intended or desired relationship and do so whether or not the cement, concrete, or other material 32, bonds with the sheet members 20 or 2|.

The recesses 23 and 3| of the sheet members 2| and 20, respectively, may be formed or provided therein in any suitable manner. For example, they may be formed in the course of..man;-.

ufacture of the sheet members themselves where they are prefabricated out of plastic or moldable or composition materials, or they may be formed therein as by drilling, counterboring, or the like. Preferably and in either case, such methods lend themselves to accuracy of location and spacing of the recesses to correspond, for example, to the horizontal and vertical spacings of the portions C of the sheet metal spacer or core member 90 (Figure 2) where the latter is employed or to the spacing of corresponding or other suitable parts to which the sheet member or members are to be related.

Under some circumstances it may be advantageous to form mounting or securing means, such as the device D-24 of Figure 6, in strip form, as is indicated on a smaller scale in Figure 8, from which it will be seen that as many securing devices D with their extensions 24 as may be desired may be secured to or integrally formed with sheet metal connecting strips 33. Among the advantages in this arrangement is the fact that the connecting strips 33 may be made rigid enough or sufiiciently resistant to bending to act as longitudinal reinforcing strips for concrete or like material in which they might be embedded, particularly where no spacer or reinforcing core structure of the character of the structure 90 is employed.

As illustrative of the wide adaptability of certain features of my invention and also to illustrate a wall structure embodying certain other features of my invention, reference may now be made to Figures 9 and 10 in which I have shown a wall structure again embodying two spaced sheet members 35 and 36, comparable to the members 20 and 2| of Figure 1 above described. Sheet members 35 and 3B are provided with securing devices or anchoranges D set into suitable recesses in the manner fully described above, and the devices D may be provided with extensions, such as the extensions 24 of Figure 6, with or without the connecting strips 33 of Figure 8.

As a wall core structure I provide a member 31 (figure) .shaped in any suitable manner to be repeatedly reentrant or to be corrugated or waved, having illustratively the form shown in horizontal section in Figure 9, the troughs of the corrugations preferably running vertically where the wall is to be a side wall, or a partition wall.

The member 31 may be made of any appropriate or suitable material, illustratively it is preferably a non-metallic composition molded material, illustrative materials of which I have mentioned above. It may, however, also be of metal, if desired.

The forwardly projecting portions or crests 3'! of the waved or corrugated member 31, preferably but not necessarily flat-faced, are provided with vertically spaced slots 38, as shown in Figure 10, these slots being spaced to correspond to the spacing of the mounting devices D-24 anchored to the sheet member 35. Moreover, each slot 38 is of suflicient dimension to permit the extension 24 to be passed bodily therethrough.

Accordingly, after having positioned or set the core or spacer structure 31, the sheet member 35 is related thereto by causing all of the extensions 24 of the mounting devices to be passed through their respective and correspondingly spaced slots 38 and the front crests 31 whereupon a down ward movement (as viewed in Figure 10) of the sheet member 35 causes the material of the portions 3! to be entered into the selected slots, illustratively slots 28, of all of the extensions 24.

Or, where it is desired to space the sheet member 35 farther away from the front portions 31 of the member 31, the spacing may be increased by selecting some other slot of all of the extensions 24, such as, for example, slot 29 or slot 30.

Thus, the sheet member 35 is securely and accurately mounted upon and alined with the core structure 31.

The spaces between the core structure 31 and the sheet member 35 may be filled, if desired, with any suitable material. For example, any suitable heat-insulating material may be injected or put in these spaces, and at 39 in Figure 9, I have indicated such a material.

The sheet member 36 that is to be juxtaposed to the sheet member 35 but on the other side of the core conductor 31 may be similarly related to the latter, if desired, but where it is desired to incorporate into the wall or building structure an appropriate plastic material, such as cement or concrete, I may simply position and hold the sheet member 36 in its desired relation to the rearwardly exposed or projecting crests 31 of the structure 31, either contacting the latter or spacing it therefrom, as in the illustrative embodiment of Figure 9.

The securing devices D related to the inner face of the sheet member 35 are provided with extensions 24 with or Without the connecting strips 33 of Figure 8 and are preferably positioned to project into the space of the rearwardly open troughs of the member 31. Thereupon the spaces between the latter and the sheet member 35 are filled by pouring a suitable plastic material, indicated at 40, such as cement or concrete, therein, the extensions 24 projecting inwardly from the sheet member 36 becoming embedded therein, as is also the case with the extensions 24 projecting inwardly from the opposite sheet member 35 and which passes through the forward crests 31 of the member 31; upon the plastic material setting or hardening, these extensions become securely anchored therein and thus both sheet members become dependably and with appropriate permanence associated with and a part of the resultant wall or building construction.

Where, as in the illustrative form of construction shown in Figiu'es 9 and 10, as just described, I employ plastic material 40, such as concrete, on one side of the member 37, and heat insulating material 39 on the other side, numerous mechanical and physical advantages are achieved, the concrete is given a form or shape that results in greatly strengthening the resultant structure for the concrete is Well adapted to resist bending, lending the resultant structure admirably for use as flooring, roofing, or the like, and is capable of taking a substantial direct load in the direction of the length of the corrugations, thus lending the resultant structure admirably for loadsupporting walls. These factors are materially increased or improved where the corrugated member 31 is made of any suitable non-metallic material, nevertheless. In any case, also, appropriate and satisfactory heat insulation may be provided by utilizing the material 39 in the spaces shown and as above described.

As just described in connection with Figures 9 and 10, I have indicated one mode of relating a suitable sheet material to a wall structure having embodied therein cement, concrete, or the like. But there may arise requirements of circumstances, in practice, that might necessitate arriving at the wall construction by different procedure or steps and to illustrate the flexibility or adaptability of application of certain features of my invention, reference may now be made to Figure 11.

There I have shown a wall construction embodying a part 50 which may be of any desired material, composition, or construction; for example, it might be constructed of brick, stone and mortar, frame construction, or the like, and it has a surface or face 5| adapted in any suitable manner to receive and retain a coating 52 of a suitable plastic material, preferably cement, of suitable thickness. Illustratively, the coating 52 of cement may be plastered onto the part 5%).

Before the plastic coating 52 hardens or sets sheet material 53, suitably provided with securing devices D of the nature and construction and application as was above described, particularly in connection with Figures 6 and '7, or even Figure 8, but preferably with extensions 2 (Figure 11) that are shorter than the extensions 24 of Figures 6, '7 and '8 and illustratively provided with a smaller number, illustratively one, downward arm is then applied flatwise against the cement plaster portion 52, with the extensions of the securing devices D directed inwardly or toward the still plastic material 52. The sheet member 53, again of any suitable size and again having, as will now be clear, a suitablenumber of suitably distributed securing devices D, is uniformly pressed inwardly (to the left in Figure 11) causing the extensions of the securing devices to penetrate and become embedded in the cement 52. When the latter becomes set and hardened, the extensions of the securing devices D in turn become dependably and securely anchored therein and the sheet material 53 likewise dependably anchored in place.

The sheet material, as will be clear, may be of any suitable length and breadth and in any case a suitable number of suitably dimensioned sheet members is embodied in the wall constructions, such as those of Figures 1, 9 and 11, to cover the expanse of the wall, ceiling, flooring, or the like, that is thus to be covered; the sheet members preferably abut edge to edge.

Because of the wide choice of natural or fabricated or composition sheet materials, illustrations of which are set forth above, that are available commercially and because of the various features of my invention as above described, I am enabled in a simple, inexpensive and thoroughly practical manner to make such sheet materials more readily available and usable in the building arts. In this connection it may be noted that some of these materials, as already pointed out,

are relatively hard and rigid, of which so-called flexboard is illustrative, and it is usually made up in relatively thin or small thicknesses. In such case I employ the convexed disk-like securing devices D of Figures 6 and 7 for it is of itself of relatively thin sheet metal, can be seated in a relatively shallow hole in the sheet material, and when straightened out or its curvature lessened or removed, its peripheral edge face (see Figure 6), normally parallel to the cylindrical hole that is made in the sheet material, assumes the shape of a truncated cone (see Figures 9, 10 and 11, for example), and thus peripherally bites into and undercuts itself into the sheet material.

However, where the sheet material is of a composition somewhat soft or slightly yieldable as compared to flexboard, for example, it is commercially usual to make such sheet material in substantial thicknesses, thicknesses on the order of or In such cases, I prefer to employ exposed cylindrical peripheral edge faces of the disk member D again assume a truncated cone form and bite into the side walls of the hole 23 but that action is accompanied also by a spreading apart of the mounting or supporting arms 22 (Figure 3). The resultant relationship of the parts is better shown in Figure 5. With this form of construction, therefore, the arms 22 are spread apart throughout their portions adjacent the disk member D and embed themselves into the walls of the hole or recess. A comparison of Figures 3 and 5 illustrates this action. Thereby the gripping forces or stresses are distributed throughout greater or more areas of the relatively more yieldable material of the sheet member or members, concentration of stress or strain in the material is minimized or avoided, and thus a more appropriate and better-acting gripping of the sheet members is achieved and appropriate compensation made for the relatively less rigid character of the material of the sheet member.

As shown in Figures 6, 8 and 11, the slots in the extensions 24 of the securing devices D are preferably given a shape to have a wider or tapered mouth, so that the part or parts to be received within these slots maybe more readily correlated or assembled thereto. This may be achieved by cutting away as shown in these views a lower side portion of at least one of the walls of each slot.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided in this invention a building construction in which the various objects hereinbefore noted, together with many thoroughly practical advantages, are successfully achieved. The simplicity of fabrication of the individual parts will now be readily apparent and it will also be seen that they are of inexpensive construction; but also the great facility and ease and flexibility of assembly of the various component parts materially diminishes the cost of construction while at the same time achieving in the latter many advantageous features of action and construction, not the least of which are security, simplicity, and permanence of assembly. Furthermore, a very wide variety of materials, such as the sheet materials, may be dependably and securely incorporated in a simple and inexpensive manner into new relationships and with advantages and inexpensiveness never heretofore realized. Furthermore, it will be seen that the invention is of. a thoroughly practical nature and Well adapted to meet and provide for widely varying requirements or possibilities of practical building construction,

In so far as concerns subject matter common to my present application and my above-mentioned earlier filed and co-pending application Serial No. 65,771, I make no claim herein to such common subject matter, having made claim thereto in my said co-pending application.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In building construction, in combination, a wall or the like comprising core means and nonmetallic sheet material having a recess facing toward said core means, and means for mounting said sheet material to said core means and comprising a normally curved or bowed member received Within said recess and thereafter substantially straightened out to expand against the walls of said recess and thereby grip said sheet material.

2. A construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said member that is received in said recess is integrally formed with said core means.

3. A construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said member that is received within said recess has extension means, said extension means and said core means having respective portions to interengage with each other.

4. A construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said core means is sheet-like in form and in which said member received in said recess has extension means substantially hook-shaped, said hook-shaped extension means interengaging with the sheet-like form of said core means.

5. A construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said member received Within said recess has extension means extending in the direction of said core means, said extension means having a plurality of selectable core-engaging means, whereby the spacing of said sheet material from said core means may be determined at will.

6. In building construction, in combination, a support, a sheet member of relatively rigid material having a plurality of recesses facing toward said support, and means secured to said support and comprising a plurality of sheet metal members normally bent out of a plane and dimensioned to be received each within one of said recesses and which, after entry into said recesses, are forced into or toward said plane and thereby have their edge portions bite into the walls of their respective recesses.

7. In building construction, in combination, a wall or the like comprising a core structure and sheet members, one on each side of said core structure and each having a plurality of recesses facingtoward said core structure, a plurality of securing members having portions extending into said recesses and gripping the side walls of the latter and having other portions extending into the space between said two sheet members, certain of said second-mentioned portions being in engagement with said core structure, and a plastic material such as concrete engaging said core structure and at least one of said sheet members and having certain others of said second-mentioned portions embedded therein.

8. In building construction, in combination, a wall or the like comprising acore structure and sheet members, one on each side of said core structure and each having a plurality of recesses facing toward said core structure, a plurality of securing members having portions extending into said recesses and gripping the side walls of the latter and having other portions extending into the space between said two sheet members, and a plastic material such as concrete filling at least such spaces as are between said core structure and one of said sheet members, said second mentioned portions being embedded in said plastic material.

9. In building construction, in combination, a wall or the like comprising a core structure and sheet members, one on each side of said core structure and each having a plurality of recesses facing toward said core structure, a plurality of securing members having portions extending into said recesses and gripping the side walls of the latter and having other portions extending into the space between said two sheet members, said core structure being of sheet material and having portions repeatedly reentrant to simulate corrugations, said second-mentioned portions projecting into trough-like spaces formed by said corrugations, and means in said trough-like spaces anchoring said portions that project thereinto.

10. In building construction, in combination, a wall or the like comprising a core structure and sheet members, one on each side of said core structure and each having a pluralityof recesses facing toward said core structure, a plurality of securing members having portions extending into said recesses and gripping the side walls of the latter and having other portions extending into the space between said two sheet members, said core structure being of sheet material and having portions repeatedly reentrant to simulate corrugations, said second-mentioned portions projecting into the trough-like spaces formed on one side of said repeatedly reentrant core structure, concrete in said trough-like spaces and having said second-mentioned portions embedded therein, and heat-insulating means in the trough-like spaces on the other side of said core structure.

11. In building construction, in combination, a relatively thin sheet member made of nonmetallic material and having a shallow recess in one face, thereof, and supporting means comprising a sheet metal member bent out of its plane and dimensioned to be received within said recesses and capable of subsequent deformation to force it into or toward said plane and thereby cause its edge portions to bite into and grip opposed side wall portions of said recess.

12. In building construction, in combination, a sheet-like member of non-metallic material having a circular recess in a face thereof, and supporting means comprising a normally concave disk-like member of a diameter to be received within said circular recess and capable of subsequent deformation to reduce or eliminate its curvature and thereby to cause its peripheral edges to bite into and grip the said walls of said recess.

13. A construction as claimed in claim 12 in which said supporting means comprises also an arm-like member extending away therefrom but at a point or points within the circumference of said disk-like member.

14. In building construction, in combination, means forming a wall surfacing or the like, said means being non-metallic and having a circular recess therein, and mounting means comprising a normally bowed or curved disk-like metallic member of a diameter to be received within said recess and capable thereafter of being deformed in the direction of straightening it out and thereby to cause its peripheral edge portions to bite into and grip the wall of said recess.

BERNARD LONDON. 

